Observed Signal · Aug 5, 2026 · Commentary · Source: The Drum · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Testing Essential as Agentic Commerce Emerges
Circana executives Cara Pratt and Lindsay Pullins tell The Drum that as AI reshapes product discovery and purchasing, brands must rapidly experiment and prepare for an era of 'agentic' commerce where algorithms — and AI agents — influence or make buying decisions. They argue brands need clear product data, accurate taxonomies, trusted reviews and consistent brand signals so AI recommends their products correctly. Success requires combining strong data foundations with speed, precision and continuous feedback loops. The conversation also frames retail media not just as an advertising channel but as a connected ecosystem of retailers, publishers, brands and AI platforms sharing richer signals.
Industry commentary from market research/retail-media executives highlights operational implications of AI-driven, agentic commerce — relevant to brands, retailers and retail-media operators but not a platform policy or major technical release.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Cara Pratt is president of global retail and media at Circana and spoke on the shift to agentic commerce.
- Lindsay Pullins is senior vice president of retail media at Circana and emphasized how brands must consider how AI systems evaluate products.
- Brands will need clear product data, accurate taxonomies, trusted reviews and consistent brand signals to influence AI recommendations.
- Success depends on combining data foundations with speed, precision, scale and continuous feedback loops for testing and optimization.
- Retail media is evolving into a connected ecosystem where retailers, publishers, brands and AI platforms share richer signals.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mapped““There’s an incredible amount of experimentation, and the cost of experimenting is decelerating. But the cost of not experimenting is signif...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Agentic Commerce Could Remove Brands From Consideration
At a Cannes Lions session reported by The Drum, Circana speakers Lindsay Pullins and Cara Pratt argued that 'agentic' AI-driven shopping systems are already reshaping commerce. Circana research cited: 10% of North American beauty e‑commerce now comes from social commerce and 70% of shoppers use AI for product discovery/search. In agentic environments, AI agents compare product attributes, price, availability and reviews before consumers engage, meaning brands with inconsistent product data, taxonomies or ambiguous claims risk being excluded from consideration. Retail media is critical because it holds the purchase signals agents need, but measurement fragmentation across retail networks and inconsistent methodologies hinder interoperability. Pullins and Pratt called for brands to test how AI evaluates their products and for industry standardization around measurement and product data to avoid lost visibility and sales.
Brand Promises Must Be Provable in Agentic Commerce
The article argues that as consumers delegate purchasing decisions to AI agents, brands must shift from emotional positioning to verifiable, machine-readable assurances. AI agents will evaluate brands on measurable signals—price transparency, inventory accuracy, fulfillment reliability, reviews, loyalty value, privacy practices and service history—potentially excluding brands before human consumers see them. Loyalty programs, customer profiles, consent and identity resolution must be accessible and computable by agents. Measurement should move upstream to whether agents can find, interpret and transact with a brand, not only human-visible engagement metrics. Cited data: nearly 70% of consumers and 73% of B2B buyers use AI tools to evaluate purchases, and Bain predicts agentic AI will drive roughly 25% of U.S. ecommerce ($300–$500B) by 2030. The piece concludes brands must align operations and data to make trust verifiable for both humans and their agents.
Retailers Must Own the AI Shopper Experience
At Cannes, a panel hosted by The Drum featuring executives from Albertsons Companies, Criteo, Google and Mars United discussed the evolving role of generative AI as a shopping assistant. Panelists warned that large language models can produce inaccurate or misleading outputs and argued retailers have an advantage because of their first‑party customer data. The conversation framed AI as a new discovery layer — augmenting rather than replacing search — and emphasised that combining AI with rich customer understanding, product content and digital‑shelf fundamentals will be critical for brands and retailers to capitalise on 'agentic' shopping experiences.
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